DUCKETT TO FEATURE FOR MCC

Ben Duckett and Haseeb Hameed will represent MCC in the 2017 Champion County match in Abu Dhabi, beginning on Sunday 26 March.

The young England duo have been named as part of the team which will take on Middlesex in the annual, four-day curtain raiser for the English county season.

The fixture will take place at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium and will be played with a pink Dukes ball in day/night conditions. It has been played in Abu Dhabi under the MCC Spirit of Cricket banner since 2009.

John Stephenson, MCC Head of Cricket, said: “Having worked closely with the England selectors to assemble this group, I am very pleased with the fantastic talent we have at our disposal.

"Haseeb Hameed, Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett are three of the most exciting young batsmen in the country at the moment, and I’m looking forward to seeing them.

"We’ve also selected a youthful and varied bowling attack which I’m sure will pose problems for the Middlesex batsmen.

"The facilities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai remain excellent for first class cricket and we’re looking forward to a competitive match.”

Jack Leach said: “It's special for me to be selected to play for MCC, as someone who came through the MCC Universities scheme.

"I've got a lot of happy memories of my time at Cardiff, and it played a big part in my cricketing development.

"This selection means I've got some really good quality cricket to prepare for the start of the season at home, with the Lions tour to Sri Lanka and our trip to Spain with Somerset, and now playing for MCC.”